This week's news, notes and numbers.

THIS WEEK’S NEWS, NOTES AND NUMBERS…

STATS & NOTES YOU MAY FIND INTERESTING…
CAPTAIN ZEE LEADING: Zdeno Chara enters this week tied for first among NHL defensemen in goal scoring with 13 tallies thus far this season (Shea Weber, NSH). The defenseman has scored four goals in his last four games, including a goal against the Islanders on 1/27, which marked his 500th NHL point. With Tuesday’s win against the Panthers the Bruins improved to a perfect 11-0-0 when Chara has scored a goal in a game and 18-2-0 when he registers a point.

BERGERON LINE BURNING: The line composed of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and Reilly Smith has combined for 30 points over the course of their last eight games with Bergeron chipping in 4-6=10 totals, Marchand registering 7-5=12 totals and Smith tallying 3-5=8 totals.
MATINEE SUCCESS: The Bruins have 17 matinee games this season and will play their tenth such game on Saturday, February 1 against the Edmonton Oilers. Thus far, the B’s have played in nine afternoon matchups, compiling a 7-1-1 record.

BERGERON QUICK ON THE DRAW: Bruins centerman Patrice Bergeron enters the weekend third in faceoff percentage at 59.8%, behind former Bruins Vladimir Sobotka (61.6%, St. Louis) and Rich Peverley (60.2%). Bergeron however leads the league in faceoff wins (696), ahead of Sidney Crosby who ranks second with 673 wins.

BRUINS IN THE OLYMPICS: Five Bruins were selected to represent their respective countries in the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia – Patrice Bergeron (Canada), Zdeno Chara (Slovakia), Loui Eriksson (Sweden), David Krejci (Czech Republic) and Tuukka Rask (Finland). In the last three Olympic Games, several Bruins players have seen success on the international stage and have brought home medals: Bergeron (Gold, Canada) and Tim Thomas (Silver, U.S.) in 2010; P. J. Axelsson (Gold, Sweden) in 2006; and Brian Rolston and Bill Guerin (Silver, U.S.) and Sergei Samsonov (Bronze, Russia) in 2002. Jarome Iginla won Gold with Canada in both 2010 and 2002 but was not with the Bruins at that time.

UPCOMING EVENTS…

BOSTON BRUINS CASINO NIGHT: On Saturday, February 1 the Bruins will host their annual “Casino Night” benefiting the Boston Bruins Foundation and featuring the current Bruins roster and Bruins alumni. Fans will have the opportunity to play at casino tables alongside current and former Bruins players at “Casino Night” on Saturday, February 1 from 6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. at the Westin Boston Waterfront. At 8:00 p.m. the Bruins will honor their friend Sam Berns who lost his battle to Progeria earlier this month. There will be a video tribute for Sam followed by a special presentation by Bruins Captain Zdeno Chara to Sam’s aunt, Audrey Gordon. A portion of the event’s proceeds will benefit the Progeria Research Foundation, of which Gordon is the President and Executive Director.

WILLIE O’REE TO VISIT SCORE BOSTON: On Saturday, February 1, former Bruin Willie O’Ree, who was the first black player to play in the NHL, will be visiting SCORE (Sportsmanship Character Opportunity Respect Education) Boston as part of the NHL’s Hockey is for Everyone initiative. SCORE Boston allows inner city youth the opportunity to participate in the sport of hockey using the sport as a platform to foster an environment for youth to learn life skills. Willie will interact and sign autographs for SCORE Boston players at Ulin Rink in Milton, MA. For more information, visit the “Around Town” section of the Week Ahead.
BEHIND THE B PRESENTED BY ALEX AND ANI: The Boston Bruins announced the remaining air dates for Behind the B presented by Alex and Ani. Episode eight aired on Tuesday, January 21 and featured John “Chief” Bucyk’s role as travel coordinator with the team as well as Loui Eriksson and Shawn Thornton’s return to he lineup. All episodes of Behind the B will air on NESN and can be streamed online at bostonbruins.com/behindtheb. Other exclusive Behind the B related content will be available on bostonbruins.com and the Boston Bruins Digital Entertainment Network (Bruins DEN) throughout the season.

BOSTON BRUINS 90TH ANNIVERSARY: The Boston Bruins will pay tribute to 90 years of history during ten select home games throughout the 2013-14 season. The organization will honor each of the ten decades of Bruins hockey as part of the 90 Years Celebration presented by Alex and Ani.

90 Years Celebration Games:
-Monday, October 14th vs. Detroit Red Wings (Milt Schmidt Puck Drop)
-Thursday, November 21st vs. St. Louis Blues (Bobby Orr Puck Drop)
-Tuesday, December 17th vs. Calgary Flames (Terry O'Reilly Puck Drop)
-Tuesday, January 14th vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (P.J. Axelsson Puck Drop)
-Thursday, January 30th vs. Montreal Canadiens (Weston Adams, Jr. Puck Drop)
-Saturday, March 1st vs. Washington Capitals
-Thursday, March 6th vs. Washington Capitals
-Monday, March 24th vs. Montreal Canadiens
-Thursday, March 27th vs. Chicago Blackhawks
-Saturday, April 5th vs. Philadelphia Flyers
LIMITED INDIVIDUAL TICKETS AVAILABLE: Limited individual game tickets are available for upcoming Bruins home games at TD Garden, including Saturday’s 1:00 p.m. matinee game (2/1) against the Edmonton Oilers and the Bruins vs. Canucks rematch on Tuesday, February 4. For more information on tickets, please visit http://bruins.nhl.com/tickets.
PUCKS & PUPS 2014 CALENDAR: The Bruins announced the Pucks & Pups 2014 Bruins calendar, which will benefit the Boston Bruins Foundation and MSPCA Angell. Pucks & Pups is a unique 2014 calendar featuring Bruins players and management photographed with their pets or with adoptable dogs from the MSPCA. Players featured in the calendar include Johnny Boychuk, Gregory Campbell, Zdeno Chara, Jarome Iginla, Chris Kelly, Milan Lucic, Brad Marchand, Daniel Paille, Tuukka Rask, Dennis Seidenberg, and Shawn Thornton. Bruins Principal Charlie Jacobs, President Cam Neely, General Manager Peter Chiarelli and Head Coach Claude Julien also participated in the project. The calendar features the B’s with their family pets or new friends waiting for homes at the MSPCA. Calendars can be purchased the Boston Bruins Pro Shop in TD Garden as well as on BostonBruins.com by visiting the following link: www.bostonbruins.com/pucksandpups.
BOSTON BRUINS #40 LICENSE PLATE RAFFLE: One lucky winner will have the opportunity to show off their Boston Bruins pride by cruising the roads of New England with Boston Bruins license plate #40, the same number worn by star goaltender Tuukka Rask. Tickets for the raffle can be purchased through www.bruinsraffles.org and can be attained until February 8, 2014. This raffle will be supporting the Boston Bruins license plate program and by now, you've probably seen a Boston Bruins license plate on the road in Massachusetts. But beyond the fact that the plate looks good, it is also serving a very important purpose - all proceeds from the sale of the "Invest in Youth Hockey" plate go directly to Massachusetts Youth Hockey. In the time that the plates have been on the road, the program has raised over $1 million for grassroots youth hockey efforts throughout the state. Money raised through the "Invest in Youth Hockey" initiative has helped pay for the Border Patrol Program, which directly benefits the youngest skaters.

UPCOMING GAMES…
THIS WEEK’S GAMES: The Bruins have four games scheduled for this week. The first game is the third of a four game homestand against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday, February 1 at 1:00 p.m. The fourth game of the homestand and second game of the week will be a rematch with the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday, February 4 at 7:00 p.m. The B’s will then take on the Blues on Thursday, February 6 in St. Louis at 8:00 p.m. ET. The final game of the week has the Bruins back at home playing a matinee game against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday, February 8 at TD Garden, beginning at 3:00 p.m. This will be the final game before the Olympic break.
UPCOMING GAMES BROADCAST SCHEDULE: The NESN broadcast team of Jack Edwards, Andy Brickley and Jamie Erdahl will be covering all of this week’s upcoming Bruins games. The tandem of Dave Goucher and Bob Beers will handle all radio duties on 98.5 The Sports Hub.

2/1 vs. Edmonton Oilers, 1:00 p.m. – NESN
2/4 vs Vancouver Canucks, 7:00 p.m. – NESN
2/6 @ Ottawa Senators, 8:00 p.m. – NESN
2/8 vs. Ottawa Senators, 3:00 p.m. – NESN
BRUINS ON THE AIRWAVES: Bruins defenseman Torey Krug has been confirmed as a weekly call-in guest with 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Andy Gresh and Scott Zolak (Gresh and Zo), which airs weekdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. General Manager Peter Chiarelli and Johnny Boychuk are expected to be regular guests on 98.5 as well with Fred Toucher and Rich Shertenlieb (Toucher and Rich), which airs weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Call-in days and times are dependent upon the B’s schedule.
193 AND COUNTING: Following Thursday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens, the Boston Bruins have sold out 193 straight regular season and playoff games. This sellout streak began more than four years ago on December 5, 2009 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The last game the Bruins did not have 17,565 in attendance at the Garden was on Wednesday, December 2, 2009 when they hosted the Tampa Bay Lightning (16,553).

BOSTON MEDIA TWEET OF THE WEEK (TOTW): In the 20th week of the Boston Media Tweet of the Week, the Boston Globe’s Fluto Shinzawa earns himself top tweet and extends his lead in the standings for his musing about the topic of conversation between goaltenders Tuukka Rask and Tim Thomas during warmups at the Bruins/Panthers game:

‏@GlobeFluto: Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask chat at red line during warmups. Probably about State of the Union.

Honorable mentions in no particular order:

@GlobeFluto: Bruins will honor 1920s tonight. Strangely, @GlobeKPD is absent.
@AmalieBenjamin: It is, apparently, endlessly amusing to shoot pucks at the glass in front of unsuspecting media to make them jump. Less fun for the media.
@DJ_Bean: There is a child in pajamas sitting by himself. He is shown on Garden HDX and the crowd goes wild. The crowd should have gone concerned.
@DanCagen: Iginla somehow goes from an ugly turnover to primary assist in a matter of seconds. Guy should play the lottery.

WILLIE O’REE TO VISIT SCORE BOSTON WHAT: On Saturday, February 1, former Bruin Willie O’Ree, who was the first black player to play in the NHL, will be visiting SCORE (Sportsmanship Character Opportunity Respect Education) Boston as part of the NHL’s Hockey is for Everyone initiative. SCORE Boston allows inner city youth the opportunity to participate in the sport of hockey using the sport as a platform to foster an environment for youth to learn life skills. Willie will interact and sign autographs for SCORE Boston players at Ulin Rink in Milton, MA.WHEN: Saturday, February 1, 2014 from 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.WHERE: Ulin Rink, 11 Unquity Road, Milton, MABRUINS PARTICIPATING: Willie O’Ree

OFF THE ICE…

PATRICE’S PALS: As a part of his continuing charitable initiative Patrice’s Pals, Bruins alternate captain Patrice Bergeron invites children from local hospitals and other organizations to experience a Bruins home game from his luxury suite. Children and their families receive goodie bags filled with Bruins memorabilia, a visit from the Bruins Mascot Blades and Bruins Ice Girls, as well as a feature on the Garden HDX. After the game, Patrice’s Pals are escorted to ice level and introduced to Patrice himself who signs autographs and takes pictures with his Pals. This will take place at all Boston Bruins home games during the 2013-14 season.
SAVVY’S SUITE: Boston Bruins forward Marc Savard has partnered with the Brain Injury Center at Children’s Hospital Boston, inviting children who suffer from the effects of Brain Trauma, both physically and psychologically, to attend a Bruins home game in his luxury suite. Children and their families receive goodie bags with Bruins memorabilia and a visit from Bruins Mascot Blades and Bruins Ice Girls. Savard started the program on Thursday, January 12, 2012, and it will continue through the end of the 2013-14 Bruins season.

COMMUNITY TICKET PROGRAM: For the entirety of the Boston Bruins 2013-14 regular season, Bruins Principal and Alternate Governor Charlie Jacobs is donating ten balcony tickets to every home game to children from charitable organizations across New England, who are invited to enjoy a Bruins home game from these donated seats.

UPCOMING PRACTICE SCHEDULE AND MEDIA AVAILABILITY
-(Ristuccia Arena, 190 Main Street, Wilmington, MA 01887) (TD Garden, 100 Legends Way, Boston, MA 02114)
-Schedule is subject to change. Please check the Bruins Media Website for the latest updates
-All times are local
-Practices at Ristuccia Arena are open to the public.